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Ship
Ships are watercraft used in Cartham. They range from smaller fisher boats and raider vessels to various massive warships and trade ships. Warfare Ships are used in skirmishes, raids, and full-scale naval engagements. Lords whose lands abut the coast might need to maintain a few war galleys to defend against piracy. Ships are also used for support roles, such as providing provisions and transporting troops. The basic tactics of naval battle is to get the ship close enough to ram the opposing ship, board her, and fight the rest of the battle on the deck. Up until they close, longbows and crossbows can be used. Sometimes siege weapons are carried on the largest war galleys. Types of ships * Galleys, vessels larger than boats, are propelled by sail or oar power. They are used for warfare, trade, and piracy. Due to their low setting they are primarily coastal ships, preferring to thread through archipelagos rather than risking even a moderate sea. Their large rower crews make them maneuverable and swift but also require frequent stops for food and water. The galley has supplemental sails to replace or augment the effort of the rowers, particularly during long journeys. The ability to travel swiftly without regard to the direction or strength of the wind becomes invaluable for daylight expeditions across open water. The practical upper limit for a galley fast and maneuverable enough for warfare is around 25-30 oars per side. By adding another level of oars, the galley can be made shorter with as many rowers, while making them strong enough to be effective ramming weapons. The flagship of the royal fleet, ''King Merek's Solace'', is one of the largest known galleys in Cartham. * Longships are a smaller type of galley primarily used by the Warthorn Elves. They are long, narrow, light, wooden boats with a shallow-draft hull designed for speed. The ship's narrow draft allows navigation in waters only one meter deep and permits beach landings, while its light weight enables it to be carried over portages. Longships are also double-ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly without having to turn around. This trait proves particularly useful in northern latitudes where icebergs and sea ice pose hazards to navigation. Longships are fitted with oars along almost the entire length of the boat itself. Later versions sport a rectangular sail on a single mast which is used to replace or augment the effort of the rowers, particularly during long journeys. * Cogs are mostly propelled by sails, which make them difficult to sail, especially upwind, and they are hostage to breezes and currents in a way that the swift galley is not. However, it can better manage rough seas and its small crew and ample storage space give it greater freedom of movement, making it perfect for trade or equipment transport. * Carracks are large ocean-going vessels. They are stable in heavy seas, and roomy enough to carry provisions for long voyages. * Swanships are large ocean-going vessels, most of which built by the Riversong Elves of Cairistiona. Broad and beautiful, they are named for their white bowsprits carved or shaped like swans. These vessels have large, striped sails emblazoned with the symbols of various noble houses and those of the kingdom. Various Elven shields line the gunwales. The rudders, masts, oars, and spars are carved or formed and brightly decorated. Most Swanships are also protected by Elven magic. With a good wind behind them they can outrun any galley. However, they are helpless when becalmed. They have high masts and high forecastles. * Dragonships, crafted by the Warthorn Elves, are easily the equals of Human warships. They are works of art, crafted of exotic hardwoods and carved with Elven runes and totemic images. Their sails are vast, colorful, carefully woven silk, and imbued with magical strength. Swift and powerful, dragonships are often used to fall upon enemy vessels from ambush or carry Elven warriors swiftly to battle. * Wardragons are long armored vessels polished white with great dragon-shaped bowsprits and substantial armament. Though huge and ponderous, wardragons have neither sails nor oars, moving magically through the water even when there is no wind. * Whalers are fat-bellied ships with hulls black with tar, used to hunt and process whales in the northern Carthian Sea. Though ungainly and smelly, whalers are renowned for their strength, as they are built to weather any storm and withstand the assaults of the largest whales. See also * List of ships * List of warships Category:Ships